Mass transit in central Indiana took one-half step forward, and what some might say one-fourth of a step back. The Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee approved a bill that would allow for expanded mass transit in Marion, Hamilton, Johnson, Delaware, Madison, and now Hancock counties. The funding structure proposed by last year’s Summer Transit Study Committee is what helped the bill get passed this time. Voters in each county would have to approve an income tax increase of anywhere from 0.1 to 0.25 of a percent increase, which would fund 65 percent of the operating costs. Corporations...

Details have been released on the proposed downtown fire station which will replace the one that currently sits on prime real estate on Mass Ave. The new station will sit on the property that is currently occupied by the Red Cross, which itself will be moving to Meridian Street.
The early returns on the design are not pretty, and are not fit for the urban environment.
Here is the proposed site plan:
In the comments regarding the proposal on Skyscraper City, CDC Guy mentions how this fire station is very similar in form to one in suburban Greenwood, shown below:
There is proof out there that the...

We the undersigned at Urban Indy would like to take this opportunity to lend our voice in support of Freedom Indiana, and against HJR-3, which seeks to discriminate against Hoosiers based on their sexual orientation. This constitutional amendment only sends a message that leaders in the state are behind the times. Instead, elected officials should be listening to the institutions and individuals who have risen up against this proposal. We hope that, if this measure does pass the State Legislature, that Indiana’s citizens will not enshrine discrimination into the State’s...

This winter, despite bitter cold temperatures, all I can think about is how I would love for someone else to do the driving, as I strategically maneuver my 4×4 Jeep through snow filled streets. However, I work near Pendleton Pike and Oaklandon Road, where there is not an Indy Go bus in sight. As a new contributor to Urban Indy, I will be sharing my passion for mass transit and the news regarding it here in Indianapolis.
Indiana legislators are going through their lists of topics this session one by one, and soon to take the platform will be a topic of particular interest: Mass Transit. As...

A mostly innocuous-looking building at Alabama and New York Streets is undergoing a major renovation project. Formerly housing only a law firm, the first floor is being converted into a bank.
Here is what it used to look like, courtesy of Google Street View:
Here is how it looked, as of this morning. Notice the new ADA-accessible entrance on the south side, which appears to be included tastefully:
There are probably critics who will lament the loss of the concrete facade, as a testament that some developers still have not learned the lessons of the past with regards to appreciation of our...